A fractional CMO is not a salaried employee so there is no one-size-fits-all answer to how much they make. They work part-time or on a contract basis which means their income depends on how many clients they work with how deep they go into each business and what kind of compensation model they agree to. Some charge monthly retainers some charge hourly and some build custom pricing for each engagement depending on scope and risk.
Most fractional CMOs charge somewhere between five thousand and fifteen thousand dollars per month per client. That’s the range you will see most often in B2B SaaS startups ecommerce brands and service companies doing at least one to five million dollars in revenue. Some CMOs offer limited involvement for as low as three thousand a month while others charge twenty thousand or more if they are working with large teams managing multiple departments and involved in strategic decisions every week. At the high end you will see fractional CMOs acting more like embedded executives attending investor calls running quarterly planning sessions and owning a slice of revenue performance. That level of involvement comes with a price.
There are also fractional CMOs who charge hourly rates especially when they are doing advisory work or short-term projects. That range can be anywhere from two hundred to five hundred dollars per hour. But hourly work is less common for long-term leadership roles. Most experienced CMOs avoid hourly billing because it limits value-based pricing and creates unnecessary tracking overhead.
Some fractional CMOs work on a flat project fee. For example they might build a complete go-to-market strategy for ten thousand dollars over six weeks. Or lead a brand repositioning for a fixed fee. This model is usually scoped tightly and includes deliverables like strategy documents audit reports or launch plans.
Equity deals are less common but they happen especially with early-stage startups that cannot afford cash payments. In those cases a CMO might trade hours for a small slice of equity or deferred compensation. This is higher risk but can pay off if the company grows and raises funding. However most experienced fractional CMOs will not take on equity-only deals unless they believe strongly in the founder and the product.
Some fractional CMOs stack multiple clients while others go deep with one or two. That’s why annual income can vary widely. A lean CMO working with three clients at five thousand a month makes one hundred eighty thousand a year. A high-performing CMO working with two companies at twelve thousand per month each is bringing in nearly three hundred thousand annually without being tied to a full-time role. That flexibility is one reason top marketing leaders are moving into fractional work.
What determines how much a fractional CMO can charge? A few key things. First is experience. A CMO with a proven track record of growing and exiting companies can charge more than someone just stepping out of a director role. Second is scope. If the client needs someone to just oversee a freelancer team the fee is lower. If the client needs someone to lead strategy hiring team coaching agency management and revenue accountability the fee goes up. Third is risk. CMOs who are taking on high-pressure turnarounds or fast-scaling Series B companies usually price higher because the stakes are higher and the expectations are nonstop.
There is also a difference between tactical and strategic CMOs. If you are looking for someone to just run ads and approve copy you are not hiring a true fractional CMO. You are hiring a marketing manager or a campaign specialist. A fractional CMO brings leadership decision-making and alignment across departments. They think in quarters not tasks. They report on pipeline not page views. And that kind of thinking commands a higher fee.
Some companies try to negotiate on price by offering fewer hours. For example they might ask for one strategy call per week and some Slack support for three thousand dollars a month. That can work for founders who are hands-on and just need direction. But for companies that need true leadership full-stack planning and team support a lower-touch engagement is not going to work. You get what you pay for.
So how much does a fractional CMO make in 2025? Realistically anywhere from one hundred thousand to three hundred fifty thousand per year depending on how they price and how many clients they support. Some push it higher. Some choose to stay lean with fewer clients. But all of them trade a salary and a job title for freedom flexibility and high-impact work with companies that actually want to grow.
If you are thinking about hiring a fractional CMO or becoming one yourself know this — it is not about charging per hour or billing by the task. It is about solving real business problems and getting paid for your impact not your time.
Want to find the right fractional CMO for your business stage and budget? Let’s talk about what kind of leader you really need and what you should expect to pay for someone who actually delivers results.